Dining Around The Desert: Piero's Pizza Vino, Palm Desert

Authentic Neopolitan Pies And More

My husband Bill came to love Neapolitan pizza again on our trip to Italy summer before last. And he was excited to share with me that he’d found a newer local restaurant (opened last December by the owner of Mama Gina’s just across the street) offering authentic Neapolitan Pizza.

To be considered authentic, these pizzas need four key ingredients: 1) A wood burning oven that reaches 800/900 degrees and cooks pizzas in about 60 to 90 seconds; 2) San Marzano tomatoes grown in the Campania region of Italy; 3) Fior di Latte Mozzarella made in house daily; 4) ‘00’ Flour (Doppio Zero) imported from Naples and ferminted for three days is highly refined flour with a higher protein content than many less-refined flours. Bella!

Piero’s offers both Pizze Bianche and Pizze Rosse and Bill has enjoyed both. His current favorite is the Speck with tomato, mozzarella and crispy Speck (Italian smoked and cured ham). And while I enjoy an occasional slice of Bill’s pizza, I usually gravitate towards salads and pastas and Piero’s did not disappoint in this area either.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms And Other Menu Items

So far in about a half-dozen visits to Piero’s I’ve enjoyed Parma prosciutto and oven roasted figs, Black Mussels in Marinara sauce with Frigitelli peppers, Fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with raw honey and several of Peiro’s salads. Taking a night off from pizza recently Bill enjoyed a wedge salad followed by Lasagna “Bolognese” topped with spicy fennel Italian sausage.

Piero’s makes a number of desserts in-house and I’ll venture to say that their cheesecake is one of the best we’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying. So light and airy with marvelous ricotta and oh so fresh!

Piero’s features a nice bar area, a dining room and a small patio out front for people watching on El Paseo Drive. Piero’s currently offers beer and wine and will soon be adding a full bar. Piero’s Pizza Vino is located at 73722 El Paseo, Palm Desert between San Luis Rey and San Pablo. Be sure to tell Piero's manger Milessa that Sheri sent you! (760) 568-2525